Ian Somerhalder wants to play a greener vampire

Star of 'The Vampire Diaries' says his immortal character should do more to respect the planet.

When it comes to vampires, Ian Somerhalder believes the immortal undead might want to reconsider their impact on the planet.

The 33-year-old plays the vampire Damon Salvatore on the CW's hit series "The Vampire Diaries." With season three about to wrap and season four on the horizon, Somerhalder believes the timing is right to give his blood sucker a green overhaul. For starters, he'd like to ditch the Camaro he drives for an all-electric Fisker Karma supercar.

"The Camaro is a cool car, but you stand behind the exhaust too long and you get sick," He tells E! News. "Damon has a lot of means to get the car. It looks like a Camaro, but it's bigger and more beautiful and it's completely green. It's electric for the first 50 miles! You'll have to fill your tank like two times a year!"

Some living, breathing celebs currently enjoying the $100,000 Fisker, including Leonardo DiCaprio and Justin Bieber.

Somerhalder adds that while eco-conscious vampires might seem a bit odd, the idea actually makes a lot of sense for immortals.

"You have this guy who's lived almost two centuries," he said. "And he realizes, I'm stuck here for the next millennium. I've watched the degradation of our Earth and our planet, watched the population grow. I have to be around for the next thousand years, I might as well take care of the place. Plus, this car is as sexy as hell."

Somerhalder's tongue-in-cheek comments come from some serious passion outside of acting in environmental activism. In 2012, after the tragedy of the Gulf oil spill, he was inspired to start the Ian Somerhalder Foundation as a means to "heal, protect and honor the planet and all its creatures."

"Going green doesn't start with doing green acts — it starts with a shift in consciousness," he said. "This shift allows you to recognize that with every choice you make, you are voting either for or against the kind of world you wish to see. All of our cast members support a variety of incredible organizations and lend their time and passion to causes that move them. When you assume this as a way of being, your choices become easier. Using a reusable water bottle, recycling and making conscious daily consumer choices are just a few of the ways our incredible cast is green."